I had high hopes for this movie. After the box office flop 'Strange World', which looked loud and unappealing and most of all very un-Disney, it seemed this movie was going to be a return to form. It even promised the return of the great Disney villain, a concept strangely abandoned by the studio for almost a decade (preferring 'twist villains' or no villains instead).
Sadly, the return of the villain is the only real benefit of this movie. For what it is, it's not terrible per se, but all is wholly forgettable, from the music to the animation to the characters. I'd say the latter is the most problematic aspect of 'Wish'. Asha is the most unoriginal, uninspired protagonist of any Disney movie. Even annoying leads in a Disney picture leave an impression, like the cows in 'Home On The Range'. Asha, on the other hand, not only looks like an identical twin of recent heroïnes like Anna, Mirabel and Rapunzel (the latter of whom she resembles most) but also acts like them. It's the exact same 'quirky awkward nervous teen girl' all over again without a shred of uniqueness that would make her a recognizable character of her own.
It's hard to root for a heroïne as empty and shallow as that. Especially when the villain's objectives are equally as empty and shallow. He wants power over people because... he wants power over people? The story is severely lacking. You would expect more from Disney's outing in its 100th birthyear, but it basically boils down to something as banal as 'he has the wishes and she wants to give the wishes back'. It's not a very exciting proposition and there's not much you can do with such a bare bones simplistic story. Which I guess is where all the padding comes from. And by god, is it terrible.
None of the goat's lines are funny. He's clearly meant as the funny sidekick but he didn't make me laugh even once. Nor did any of the other side characters, who are even more bland than Asha. Does anyone remember any joke from the movie that cracked a smile for them? I found the humor very much aimed at little kids, but then again I would say most of this movie is aimed at little kids. Even the animation looks like a saturday morning cartoon. It had a lot of potential, the blend of 2D with 3D. I will give the movie this: at least it looks different than the other Disney computer animated movies, the way handdrawn movies looked different (compare, say, 'Atlantis' to 'Lilo & Stitch').
The most underwhelming aspect of this movie were the songs. Most of them are pointless, the lyrics are laughably weak and they fail to illuminate important plot points (as is customary in Disney musicals). I found them sadly unimaginative, not catchy or memorable, and with the villain song I was even hoping it would be over soon, that's how bad that one was. I also dislike the modern pop sound the songs had, which is jarring when shoehorned into a supposed fairytale. It makes you long for the days of the Disney Renaissance.
All in all, 'Wish' is not the worst Disney movie by a long shot and it's wholly unoffensive and it had some potential but that potential was never realized. As it stands, it's a pretty mediocre film that serves as babysitter material on Disney+ but can't stand alongside the Classics of (even the recent) past.
